A certain way of title overlay

[Derrick_Fiddle]

Ok, with version 10 is there a way to make the text transparent BUT everything surrounding the text black. In other words, I want video showing only through the letters.

[Ron P.]

Hi Derrick,

This can be done, one way to do it is to create your text in an image program like PhotoImpact, then save it as a *.png file. Your text should have a thick border, I used a 3 or 4 px border, and made the text color green. The background that your text is on, will be black. Then in VS place it on an overlay track, then set the chroma-key to the color of the center of your text, which in this case was green. Since you told VS that the transparency color is green, the black will cover the remainder of the screen.

Here's a couple of quick examples..

Example-1

Example-2

Example-4

Example of Black Lab's Method, SWF format

Black Lab's Method WMV format

In Example-4, I used the video file behind, and on top of the text/image file, and then used the title. The last few seconds shows just the text/image with the video file showing through. I also noticed that for some reason Putfile wants to stretch the video...

Quality is poor due to size, and done rather quickly...

@BlackLab

Thanks for that, I new there was another way to do this, but brain is on vacation.

[Black Lab]

Another way to do it, just by using VideoStudio, is to use what is called an Intermediate Render.

In a new project create your title. Use black as your font color, with another color as the outline. (NOTE: if you just want a transparent title over your video then the color you use for the font has to be the same color you have designated to be the background color under File>Preferences>General Tab - in my case it is black. For a different effect use a font color that is different from your background color.)

When your clip is complete, choose Share>Create Video File. Put that new video file of your title in an Overlay track. With that clip selected, choose the Attribute tab and click on the Mask & Chroma Key button. Check the Apply Overlay Options box, make sure Chroma Key is the type selected, and choose black (or the color you used) as the keyed color. The font color, as well as the background, will then become transparent, showing the video in the main track thru your title.

[Derrick_Fiddle]

Hi Derrick,

This can be done, one way to do it is to create your text in an image program like PhotoImpact, then save it as a *.png file. Your text should have a thick border, I used a 3 or 4 px border, and made the text color green. The background that your text is on, will be black. Then in VS place it on an overlay track, then set the chroma-key to the color of the center of your text, which in this case was green. Since you told VS that the transparency color is green, the black will cover the remainder of the screen.

Here's a couple of quick examples..

Example-1

Example-2

Example-4

Example of Black Lab's Method, SWF format

Black Lab's Method WMV format

In Example-4, I used the video file behind, and on top of the text/image file, and then used the title. The last few seconds shows just the text/image with the video file showing through. I also noticed that for some reason Putfile wants to stretch the video...

Quality is poor due to size, and done rather quickly...

@BlackLab

Thanks for that, I new there was another way to do this, but brain is on vacation.

Hey man, you are a genius. I did exactly what you said, added some pan and zoom and it works great. I need to do some tweaking here and there, but the basic know-how on how to do it is there now thanks to you. I have yet to try the other way that was mentioned, but I'll be sure to give it a whirl. Thanks again though man, this really helps.

[sunshinegirl690]

Hey I just tried it! I like it....the things you learn on this site!!!

[blplhp]

I just tried this new trick too and it works great. The talent of using this feature comes into play when you have to adjust the video clip and/or the rendered title overlay clip to get people or objects in the video clip to line up and actually show thru the open spaces in the title letters, without their heads or other important features being blocked out. I guess you could either adjust the positioning of the title clip in the rendered project, but that would take a long time rendering each iteration to get it right, or you could use the cropping filter on the video clip. Any easier methods of accomplishing this alignment procedure?